Category Archives: dining

During the holidays I managed to squeeze in a meal at a new restaurant I had been wanting to try. Amano is the new restaurant from the Rio Mar and La Boca folks–two of my favorites. They’ve cornered the market on Spanish seafood and Argentinian steaks, and now they are trying their hand at central and southern Italian cuisine.

They are doing (very well) house made salumi and handmade pasta. You’re just about over those New Year’s diet resolutions, right? The menu is divided into 5 sections Salumi, Antipasti e Zuppa, Primi (pasta), Secondi and Contorni (sides). My date and I ordered a salumi dish (Bresaola con Ruccola e Grana: Air-cured “Piemontese” beef carpaccio with arugula & grana) and had a craft cocktail (a Chinotto: Hendricks gin, Averna amaro, house-infused bitters, orange juice and a Negroni, respectively) and then contemplated the menu. We decided to get one item from each menu and share, which turned out to be the perfect amount of food for the two of us.

For Antipasti we had Insalata di Mare: Salad of octopus, shrimp, squid, celery, & potatoes, which I was afraid might be too similar to one of my favorite dishes at Rio Mar (the grilled octopus) but no, it was unique and delicious. Then we shared the Spaghetti Carbonara. I wanted to order a more daring pasta dish, but, as my husband pointed out, trying the classics at a new place is a good way to rate the quality. It was good, but I still wish we had gotten the Gnudi con Funghi, Burro e Salvia: Spinach & ricotta dumplings, local shiitakes, brown butter, sage or the Orecchiette con Salsiccia, Fagioli e Cavolo Nero:Orecchiette, fennel sausage, beans,Tuscan kale, ricotta salata. For our secondi we had Petto d’Anatra con Mandarino e Saba: Seared duck breast, satsuma, saba, rosemary-pistachio gremolata, which was cooked perfectly. We paired that with a side of Verdure Affogate: Braised local mustard greens. We had all that plus a total of three glasses of wine between us, and with tax and a healthy gratuity we got out of there spending less than $150.

Well I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a pretty rad Christmas day planned. After some skype-ing the relatives and opening of gifts we’re heading out in pursuit of dim sum. It turns out that Panda King is closed today, but the one other restaurant in the GNO that does dim sum, Royal China is open at 4pm!

The Camellia Grill is one of those uptown institutions that I would regularly patronize if only it weren’t on the other side of town. Well now I have no excuse, as they are opening up a French Quarter location this weekend. AND, half of the restaurant’s profits during grand opening weekend benefit the LASPCA and the Big Easy Awards Foundation.

And, as it turns out, my favorite neighborhood cafe, Satsuma, is doing the Green Plate Special. How fortuitous! So lunch will be one or more of these offerings: Lentil Stew, Roasted Beet Salad, Salmon Salad Sandwich, Gluten Free Pie, Quiche and Satsuma Limeade.

Didn’t get enough Oktoberfest in October? The Crescent Pie and Sausage Company is teaming up with NOLA Brewing Company this evening and hosting a special four course dinner with beer pairings. $65. Reservations: (504) 482-2426. Okay cleanse, we start tomorrow…

There is a new little bar/restaurant in the Quarters! Sylvain is a super-chic little place with a craft cocktail bar and upscale comfort food. Sean McCusker, a New Yorker and food and music writer, came down here to open Sylvain, which has been up and running for about a week now. This is totally where you take a date you want to impress–very cool and casual, and no one knows about it…yet.

I dined there on Monday (open Monday!), and it had the feel of a brand-new place–over-staffed and eagerness in the air, but oh so promising. I had a Pressure Drop, a cocktail borrowed from the menu of Death and Co. in NYC., and my husband had a Sazerac, both a little sweet, but good. The wine list is great. We shared a couple of appetizers, chicken liver crostini and roasted beet bruschetta, also good. The shaved Brussel sprout salad was very good, and the beef cheek entree that we shared was heavenly. I literally had a dream about it.

The room itself is very cool, very New York–pressed tin ceiling, a boar’s head mounted on the wall. They have a lovely courtyard, too. They’re also open seven days a week, and late! All the elements are there: a lovely room, a cool menu, great hours, good location–iron out the little brand-new-place kinks, and we’ve got a super-chic new spot in the French Quarter. Dinner: Monday-Thursday 5:30-11pm, Friday and Saturday 5:30-midnight, Sunday 5:30-10pm. Lunch: Friday and Saturday 11:30am-2pm.